Universal's Monster Franchise May Have Found Its Frankenstein

Following in the footsteps of Marvel, DC and Star Wars, Universal is gearing up to expand its cinematic universe centered around their classic monster lineup. While these monsters may not be quite as popular as they were in decades past, the franchise has been grabbing a lot of big Hollywood names to add gravitas, from Tom Cruise as The Mummy's protagonist to Russell Crowe as Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde to Johnny Depp starring in The Invisible Man. Now there's word that Javier Bardem is being looked at to play Frankenstein in this universe.

According to Variety, Bardem is currently in talks to star as the monster Frankenstein, rather than its creator, Victor Frankenstein, in the Universal monster movies. The article also said that rather than debut in a solo Frankenstein movie or Bride of Frankenstein, the outlet's sources said he'll likely appear in a different monster flick first, though it's unclear which one. The Skyfall star had previously been approached to play Jekyll, but he turned down the opportunity, making way for Crowe to snag the role.

Even with the mysteriousness surrounding how Frankenstein will fit into the Universal Monster movie series, getting Javier Bardem would be a major score. Not only does the actor have experience playing villains, most notably Anton Chigurh in No Country for Old Men, he also has already dipped his toes into a few franchises. In addition to playing Raoul Silva in the James Bond movie Skyfall, he's also playing Captain Salazar next year in Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Men Tell No Tales. He has the acting chops to make the brutish creation scary, yet sympathetic when necessary. Just like how Russell Crowe's Jekyll/Hyde is being introduced in The Mummy before potentially leading his own movie, it's also an interesting idea to set up Frankenstein in a separate movie before going on his own adventure or being with his future bride. Whatever that movie ends up being, presumably that's when we'll see mad scientist Victor Frankenstein bring his creation to life.

The Universal Monster movie universe technically began in 2014 with Dracula Untold, but much like Batman v Superman: Dawn of Justice did for the DC Extended Universe, 2017's The Mummy is meant to truly kick off this world filled with freakish and horrific creatures. In addition to the previously mentioned movies, the slate includes The Wolf Man (which Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson may star in), Van Helsing and Creature from the Black Lagoon. Frankenstein's (the monster) most recent appearances in live action include being played by Shuler Hensley in 2004's Van Helsing and Aaron Eckhart in I, Frankenstein and Spencer Wilding in Victor Frankenstein.

We'll keep you updated on how Frankenstein will be involved in the Universal Monster movies, but let us know what you think about Javier Bardem potentially playing the monster in the comments below.